A Curse and a Prayer
by jmp22895
Summary: AU: Ludwig Beilschmidt and his brother have been rebelling against the tyrannical system that has destroyed their lives. But Ludwig, one of the people's last hopes, has been captured, and the rebellion is collapsing in on itself. Now, forced to serve two strange Italian boys by a curse, he is desperate to find a way out... GerIta, among other pairings. Rating subject to change.
1. Captured

Ludwig Beilshmidt awoke in total darkness.

His breath came in shallow gasps, his eyes dilating. With a shuddering breath, he forced himself up, his wild eyes scanning the blackness for anything. As he sat up, pain shot through his chest, as if a knife were being thrust through his ribcage. He almost cried out, but clenched his teeth tightly, the way his brother had taught him. 'Never cry, Lud,' seemed to be Gilbert's mantra. 'Crying is for sissies.'

…where was his brother? The thought came to him suddenly, and he froze. And then another thought came too; _Where_ _am I?_

Panic, shear panic, forced him to his feet. "G-Gil…?" He called suddenly. Gott, why did his voice sound so small? "Gilbert?" He tried to call louder, but he was alone.

Ludwig stared around, hyperventilating. And he slowly forced himself back onto the cold stone floor. _Calm down, _he told himself, shutting his eyes tightly. _Fear is the enemy. You are a soldier. Just calm down and think._

He tried to think, but his head seemed to be spinning. Where was he? He remembered…he remembered the fight. His gun—he automatically reached for his side, but his pistol was gone. Right. So there'd been a fight, and he'd been captured. They'd taken his sidearm. He riffled through his other pockets. Same with his knives.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his now disheveled hair. The revolt had gone badly then. Was he the only one captured? Or had they isolated him? He was an officer after all. But how would they know that anyway? His head was spinning faster, he was going to throw up. He buried his face in his hands.

There wasn't any way to know what time it was. He wasn't sure how long he'd been there, could've been days for all he knew. But no, he hadn't been fed yet. So only hours, maybe a day at the most. He clambered to his feet again and began pacing quickly, his mind racing. He needed to escape, and quickly. He brushed his hands along the wall, but they were all rock solid. The door, he found, burned to the touch. Some sort of enchantment? No way of being sure.

He sat down against the wall, trying to clear his head, to no avail. The longer he tried, the harder it seemed for him to hold his eyes open. Soon he found them falling shut against his will…

* * *

_There're a few things you need to know about me if we're going to continue with this story. Just some little background details._

_The first is that we have no money. My brother and I, I mean. Gilbert couldn't hold down a job to save his life, an ironic statement seeing as that is exactly why he'd needed one in the first place. And me he'd refuse to let work, in the mines, in the factories, in the other death-traps in need of labor. Back when we were looking for jobs, I mean. We'd given up by the time I was twelve._

_Anyway, like I said earlier, no job, no money. Maybe it'd been better that way, mein bruder was never one for taking orders. He'd refuse to listen to the teachers at the school. Admittedly, they were all bigoted arschlöcher with as much understanding of mathematics and science as the average two-year-old, but at least I tried to stay on their good sides, to make less trouble for our grandfather._

_He never listened much to our grandfather either, now that I think back. They were always at odds with each other before grandfather was killed. Or, maybe 'at odds' isn't quite the right term. Perhaps 'blatant antagonism'? At least on Gilbert's part. I tried my best to mediate between the two of them…_

_Oh yes, another thing to know about me: I am an orphan. My parents were in some sort of horrible crash when I was two. Err, well, they weren't driving, we didn't even have a car. Gil tells me we were there too when it happened, not that I remember it. He'd been eight, though…_

_Anyway, my grandfather raised us. Our parents married young, so he wasn't that old. He worked several jobs to keep us fed, and taught me everything I didn't get from a book. Or, as Gilbert would so eloquently put it, "He taught us the useful shit, Lud. Forget the rest of that unawesome crap."_

_My grandfather was killed when I was nine. He'd gotten into a fight with an aristocrat, over what I have no idea. But I know the other man was important because the police showed up afterword. They don't come unless someone important gets hurt. They'd both been killed, my grandfather and that man, but they came to us. Someone needed to be punished for the death of an aristocrat._

_Since my grandfather was dead, they took my fifteen-year-old brother, and beat him within an inch of his life…_

* * *

There was a grinding noise, and Ludwig shot awake immediately. He leapt to his feet, fists up, ready to lash out. But then a small hatch opened, and he had to shut his eyes at the light. It slammed shut almost immediately.

Ludwig blinked the spots out of his eyes furiously. He cautiously leaned down and brushed his fingers against the floor trying to figure out what had happened. Then his hand brushed against the tray.

_Food!_ He grabbed it and grinned, and almost immediately began to shovel it into his mouth. But something stopped him. Just an out of place smell. Something almost…familiar… And a warning signal went off in his head, like a red light.

He threw the food down immediately with a clatter, hissing, and leaned against the wall. Of course, he was a prisoner of war. They could kill him without a second thought. Or what if it was a truth serum? The thought of what would happen then was so much worse… Either way, eating wasn't an option.

…

His head felt light. His extremities were shaking. He crouched next to the door silently, staring at the blackness where he knew the door would open any moment. He shut his eyes slowly, listening for movement on the other side—footsteps. Someone was coming. He tensed, every nerve in his body on edge. And the hatch opened—

Ludwig dived. His hand shot out, and it closed around someone's throat. He heard a strangled yelp, but tightened his grip hatefully.

"_Let—Me—Out,_" he growled.

"W-Wha…What the bloody…?" He felt someone clawing at his fingers, and he caught a glimpse of wide green eyes through the hatch. Ludwig stiffened slightly, seeing the fear in those eyes, but he didn't let go, he had to escape, he had to—

"_I-Incaendium!_"

There was a flash of red light, and Ludwig's skin was burning. He yelled and stumbled back, and another shout as the door swung open; "_Caesum! Conligo!_"

His body seemed to freeze up, and he collapsed backward. His eyes flashed white for a moment as his head hit the floor with a _crack_, but he forced the pain away. He couldn't move, he could barely breathe.

The young man standing in the doorway stared down at him, his green eyes wide. He looked about twenty, with prominent brows and dark purple circles beneath his eyes. "…bloody hell," he rasped, rubbing slightly at his bruised throat. "And here I was under the impression that you had no strength left. You know, having not eaten in over twenty-four hours?"

Ludwig glared at the man, but his jaw was clenched shut. He settled for portraying all his hate in his eyes. The man sighed, prodding the food with his toe. "And I worked so hard on that potion…not on the food, of course. They claimed they wanted you alive…what the hell does that even mean…?" He sighed, seeming to be talking more to himself than Ludwig.

Then he glanced up at him. "And why aren't you eating anyway?" He asked.

Ludwig stared back at him, feeling his hatred bubbling inside of his stomach. The man frowned at him, until he remembered that he's bound his mouth shut. "Oh, right, sorry. One moment…" He waved his arm, and Ludwig felt his jaw loosen.

He opened his mouth to breathe deeply. Then, he shouted, "Go to hell!"

The man blinked, then chuckled slightly. "Oh, don't worry, I'll likely be headed there soon…" he murmured, a sardonic smile forcing itself across his face. "Although that certainly didn't answer my question—"

"I will not betray my friends' trust," Ludwig spat at him. "I'll starve myself if I have to!"

"How noble of you," the young man muttered, "unless of course I poured something down your throat now. After all, you can't move."

Ludwig felt his heart stop. He was right; Ludwig had no way of defending himself. He clenched his jaw back shut, glaring at the man again. But the young man just sighed and strode over to him, looking down at the other's grimy face. "I'm not going to, so don't worry yourself too much. Now," he pulled a tattered card from his pocket, frowning at it, "your name is Ludwig?"

Ludwig stared at the card, confused. He didn't answer, but the man just shrugged. "Normally the penalty for treason is execution, but someone 'up there' must really like you. Or maybe they just hate you more than usual. Either way…" he bent down, pulling something from his pocket, "…well, here _I_ am…"

He held the object up, and Ludwig could see it was some sort of stone cup. The young man reached inside and coated his fingers with black dust, then began writing runes on the floor.

Ludwig followed his movement with his eyes. "…just who are you?" He asked suddenly. He immediately clamped his mouth back shut, unsure of why he asked. But the man just looked up at him.

"Name's Arthur."

Ludwig swallowed, but his throat was dry. "Arthur," he said slowly, as Arthur continued calmly writing, "what exactly are you doing?"

He smiled grimly back at Ludwig. "Turning your life into hell." He shut his eyes, and began murmuring something under his breath. Ludwig couldn't catch the words, but the dust on the floor had begun to shift, even without the slightest breath of wind. And the seemed to glow, but black, as if sucking light away from the very air.

And then suddenly sharp, excruciating pain shot through his body, like nothing he'd ever felt before. He heard someone screeching an ungodly shriek, and only realized in the few seconds before he blacked out that it was his own scream…

* * *

_Hey guys, what is up? Jmp# here! Hope you guys like my new story. I feel as though this one could be really long. This is my first time with an AU, so I hope it turns out okay. __Going to introduce more characters with each chapter._

_Anyway, just tell me what you think. Good enough to continue?_


	2. Blue Skies and Green Grass

_Alright, I am only going to explain this once, so you bloody well better listen up._

_So this curse is an extremely intricate and dangerous technique that only the most advanced of mages should even attempt. Not that you should even if you are, but trying it without years of practice could kill you quite easily. Anyway, I'm not going to explain to you all the intricacies of the spellwork and incantation, for the aforementioned reasons. Don't want any of you stupid gits trying it out at home, do I?_

_Right, so, basically, what it did…well, it's a curse, so it caused him some undue pain. I, uh, suppose you figured that out with the screaming… But it did much more than that as well. It's sort of a spell that works to enslave a person's soul. And no, that is not supposed to sound that melodramatic. It..um…_

…

_Alright, how should I put this…?_

_Well, the simplest way I can put it is it works to bind a person's soul to another person. It's a very crude form of black magic, painful and dangerous. I really wish I could murder whoever even thought of this spell in the first place. Then maybe pour some hot tea into his eyes and…_

…_um, right, back on topic…_

_So it binds a person's soul. By that I mean it forces them to follow the every command of another person. If not, the curse starts to kill you. It can and will destroy a person from the inside out, I'm not completely sure how. All that's visible is the awful scar it leaves burnt into your flesh. As I said earlier: crude, destructive, and evil…_

___…_

…_have I mentioned I hate my job…?_

_They keep telling me that it is an 'honour' to serve this pathetic government this way, but it truly is nothing but hell on earth. I feel as though I want to scream. I mean, have you had to see these wretched people stare at you with all the terror and loathing they can physically posses, and know that you are about to destroy them, that you will watch their corpses bleed out by your own hand? Sometimes I wonder if dying would be better than this…_

_On the bright side, I only ever have to see them once. Like this Ludwig guy, I'll be glad to never see him again. It makes it much easier on me, since I have so much to take care of as long as I'm still alive…_

* * *

Ludwig's eyes opened halfway for a few seconds, but everything was blurry. He closed them. The floor was swaying beneath him, as if it was moving. It wasn't the cold stone anymore, more like steal. They were moving him…

…he was moving…

He opened his eyes again, squinting through the blinding light. Breathing heavily, he tried to sit up. He was relieved to find he could move again. Good.

He sat up shakily, staring around. He could feel the panic starting to set back in, but he ignored it. He was definitely being moved, but to where he had no idea. There were windows on either side of him, showing blinding sunlight and moving landscape. But there was nothing letting him see into the driver's seat.

He tried to stand up, but his head almost immediately began to spin. He fell forward, lightheaded with hunger. Of course, he hadn't eaten since god knows when. He sat himself back down, but positioned himself near the window, so he could try to see where he was.

It was like something out of one of those silly fairy tales Gilbert used to tell him when he was a child. The sky was blue. Blue! How on earth did that happen? The black smoke and soot of the slums he'd grown up in was gone. And the houses! Who on earth could even live in something like those, they were massive, the size of factories! And the lawns were green, how did they get enough water to keep them alive? And there were people walking on the streets in brightly colored clothing, all smiling and greeting each other and watching him pass with mild curiosity in their well-fed faces.

In his mind's eye, he could see the home he'd left only yesterday. The small dilapidated shack he and Gilbert shared. Two rooms, no space to even sit down. The lawn was dust and dirt, and the sky was grey and dull and bleak, reaching down into the streets and choking the grim and dirty people walking underneath. No one smiled. There was no reason to…

He glanced behind, straining his neck. _Mein Gott, just how far away am I? _He thought weakly, turning completely around. There wasn't a trace of smoke in the sky, no sign of his home in the distance. He felt himself blanch and his stomach drop. This was, without a doubt, the farthest he'd ever been from his home…

He turned back forward, and flinched as his chest gave a painful throb. He scowled and rubbed at it, but then he stiffened, feeling the scarred skin beneath his shirt. He quickly unbuttoned the front and looked down.

An ugly red burn stood out on his pale chest. It was shiny, as if newly burnt into his flesh. It was oddly shaped, almost like a pentagram. Or wait, no it was seven points. A septagram? Was that even a thing? He was vaguely reminded of the brands on cattle, before he quickly buttoned his shirt back up. Why did he feel so disgusted, so violated?

He felt his arms shaking slightly, more from fatigue than anything else. At least he told himself that. Because he wasn't afraid.

He shut his eyes and leaned against the window, willing his heart to stop pounding so hard. Or maybe just to stop pounding at all. To stop forever. He sighed, feeling the warmth on his face from the sun. He'd never realized how warm sunlight was. Maybe everything was just colder back home…

…

…

…

"Hey, get up."

Ludwig blinked hazily, trying to remember what'd happened. Before he could, however, a calloused hand grabbed his arm and dragged him to his feet. He growled and stood up, glaring at the man standing next to him. "I can stand up myself," he muttered sullenly at the young man. He was glad to see he was taller than the other. He wasn't glad to see the other man had a gun in his other hand.

The man didn't answer him, but lead him roughly through the open door on the side of the room. Outside, Ludwig could see it was some sort of a truck he'd been in. He looked around quickly, trying to see where he was. There were tall buildings, clean and gleaming. The nearest one was a pearly white, with pillars and a hundred marble stairs leading to the heavy black doors. How the hell was everything so huge in this place?

There were people walking past, all still wearing bright colors and vibrant smiles. Ludwig wasn't sure which hurt his eyes more. Many of them were walking in and out of the columned building just up ahead. It took his disoriented mind a moment to realize that was where he was being lead, as the gunned man nudged him forward. He trudged slowly up the stairs, feeling dangerously close to falling backward. He hoped they would feed him something soon. Something not poisoned.

They reached the top eventually. For the first time since he learned how to walk, he was out of breath. He wished he could stop for a moment, but they kept walking.

They stopped near the first ornate door they came to, and the man turned toward him. Ludwig could see his outfit was something of a uniform. A soldier probably, Ludwig recognized the uniform vaguely. He started looking more closely at the man.

He was probably just over Ludwig's age. His hair was almost shoulder length and there was a gun on his waist, as well as across his back.

"You will be held here until further notice," the soldier muttered with the air of something he had to recite often, pulling something out of his pocket. It was a handcuff, but only one, and no chain. He calmly secured it around Ludwig's wrist, and Ludwig was surprised to find it seemed to hold him in place.

As the man strode through the door, Ludwig leaned against the wall and shut his eyes. He wondered what would be happening if he were home now. He and Gilbert would be plotting some sort of crazy scheme, trying to figure out where to strike next. Ludwig would help make it into a workable course of action, and Gilbert would start rounding up the 'soldiers'. Ludwig's 'battalion' would be in charge of defending the 'home front' as always.

Ludwig would always ask about those titles, those labels Gilbert always added to everything, but Gilbert would tell him, "They make it sound more awesome!" Which was true, it added some glamour to everything. It made him feel as though they could actually accomplish something. That they were more than some poor kids in over their heads, fighting against two sides of a war they didn't start…

_thud_

Ludwig jumped, pulled from his thoughts by a small figure slamming into his side. He turned, his arm twisting slightly behind him, and glanced down.

The kid looked around Ludwig's age, maybe younger. His auburn hair was slightly messy, with a single curl protruding from the side, and his clothes were rumpled. His eyes were almost completely closed, but somehow he seemed to be looking around, slightly dazed. "O-Oh, sorry sir I—"

He looked up, and Ludwig managed to get a glimpse of his eyes. They were like gold, or amber, framed by long eyelashes. Ludwig's heart skipped a beat momentarily, his throat went dry. He stared back at the boy, and the boy stared back.

Until the kid yelped, jumping backward. "W-Wah, I-I-I'm sorry, don't hurt me!" He wailed suddenly, his eyes shut again and looking close to tears. "I surrender!"

Ludwig stiffened, taken aback by the outburst. "W-What? W-Wait, nein, I…I didn't…" He glanced around, seeing a bunch of people staring at him. There were more people in uniforms turning, looking darkly at him. He cursed softly, and turned back toward the kid. "Hey! Kid! Stop crying!" He hissed frantically, glancing up at the men advancing on him.

The boy paused for a moment, still whimpering. "I-I-I'm sorry…" He bawled.

"Nein, stop it! Stop crying!" Ludwig grabbed his shoulder, and the kid squeaked in fright. Ludwig paled and let go. "Err, I mean…I-I'm not going to hurt you," he told him quickly, still glancing up at the men, "so calm down, seriously, I'm going to get in trouble—"

"Hey you!" The soldiers grabbed his arm. The shackle suddenly jerked back, as if by some sort of magnetic force, and slammed against the wall. Ludwig grimaced, but didn't make any sound. The nearest soldier, who, Ludwig was surprised to see, was as tall as he was, turned toward the boy. "Was this man bothering you?" He asked, looking slightly as if he didn't care.

The boy looked just as frightened by the soldier as he was by Ludwig, and cowered slightly. "N-No, sir," he stammered, shaking slightly.

The man frowned at him. "Well, why were you just screaming…?" He asked dully.

"O-Oh, well I walked into this person a second ago, and he looked really big and scary so I started crying, 'cause I didn't mean to run into him and I thought he would hit me since I was looking at how pretty the architecture was instead of where I was going since it always looks pretty even though I was supposed to go to the super market first to get some tomatoes and basil for dinner tonight and I was supposed to come here afterword but I went the wrong way and…"

Both Ludwig and the soldier stared blankly down at the boy, surprised at how fast he could ramble, but the boy continued talking like that at least five more minutes. "…and Lovino said that he was gonna kick me if I get lost again but the building was just so pretty and—"

"Listen, sir," the soldier interrupted finally, "I…I _really_ don't care. So if I could just get your name I could write a report and be done…"

The boy blinked. "Oh, okay! It's Feliciano Vargas!" The boy smiled up at him.

The soldier sighed. "Right, whatever. You should probably get home…" The man turned, and strode back to the opposite side of the room without a glance back.

"H-Hey, wait, aren't you going to undo this—" Ludwig tried to protest, but the man was already gone. He groaned, glancing at his arm now stuck against the wall. "Son of a…"

"Ve~ So what's your name?"

Ludwig froze, glancing back at the boy. He was staring innocently up at him, a small smile on his face. Quite the change from the whimpering child from a moment ago. Ludwig frowned at him, annoyed. He was about to make something up, when he realized that the people here already knew it. "It's…It's Ludwig," he answered gruffly.

He'd been expecting (and hoping for) the kid to leave after that, but he just giggled. "Ve~ That's a weird name!" He said.

Ludwig blinked. "Wha…?"

"Oh, but anyway, I'm sorry I got you yelled at," the boy said quickly. "I just thought that you looked big and scary and stuff, but you don't seem that scary! I'm sorry I hit you."

Ludwig glanced around warily, still scowling. A few people were still glaring at him. What the hell was wrong with this stupid kid? Was he supposed to be in here? "It's okay…I guess…" he responded. "Just, uh, watch where you're going."

"Oh, okay! Thanks!" Then, the boy, Feliciano, plopped himself down next to Ludwig, much to Ludwig's chagrin. "My name is Feliciano! Oh, but you probably heard that a second ago. So are you a government worker person? Lovino says I shouldn't talk much with them, but I don't know why."

Ludwig stared at him. Then at the shackle around his own wrist. Then at the boy again. Was he really that stupid…? "Nein, I'm not…"

"Oh good! I like talking to you, you're nice~!"

"…I…I am?" He asked dumbly.

"Uh huh! Oh, hey, what's wrong with your hand?" He hopped to his feet to look at the arm still stuck on the wall. Ludwig stiffened and glanced away. But then Feliciano said, "Oh no, did you get your hand stuck in one of those too?"

Ludwig stared back at him. He really was that stupid. He continued on, oblivious to Ludwig's stare. "My hand gets stuck in those too sometimes! Lovino has this funny thing he can do with it like…" He reached forward, and grabbed Ludwig's arm.

Ludwig looked wild-eyed at the boy. What the hell was this kid's deal? His hands felt soft… Ludwig felt himself flush slightly and shook his head. What kind of a thought was that?

"Anyway, so he presses a couple of stuff a bunch and—" with a pop, Ludwig's arm jerked from the wall. "Tah dah~!" Ludwig yanked his arm back, but the shackle was still working it seemed. At least he couldn't pull his arm very far. "Oh, sorry," Feliciano apologized, pouting at the shackle. "Lovino is much better at it, 'cause he actually knows how to do it; I just kind of pressed some buttons!" He giggled and sat down again. "But you can move again!"

Ludwig raised an eyebrow, rubbing gingerly at his arm. Slowly, he sat himself down next to the strange little boy next to him. "…um…thanks," he muttered, glancing away.

"Of course!" He answered. "Wow, how did you get so muscley!" He suddenly gushed, grabbing Ludwig's arm. Ludwig almost protested, but the boy had already let go, looking down at his own scrawny arms. "Ve~ I could never get that muscley! Oh well…"

Ludwig stared blankly at the boy, unsure of what he was supposed to say. He'd never been able to talk to people back home. He could inspire soldiers, lead them to battle, but he'd never really been able to hold a real conversation. He opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted.

"Hey."

Ludwig and Feliciano jumped and looked up at the soldier, the same one that had led Ludwig into the building. He glared down at them. "You. Come with me," he told Ludwig, reaching down and hitting something on the shackle. It clattered to the floor.

Feliciano smiled up at the soldier. "Hey, don't you live next door to me?"

The man glared at him. Feliciano squeaked and hid behind Ludwig. Before Ludwig could say anything, the man turned back toward Ludwig. "I said come with me."

Ludwig glanced at the boy hiding behind him, and slowly stood up.

He followed the soldier through the ornate wooden door, already feeling nervous. The hallway was much smaller than the lobby they'd just been in, and they'd only gone a few feet when they turned into another room. As they strode inside, Ludwig caught a glimpse of a strange curl and two amber eyes peeking through the doorway they'd just passed through.

A man in his mid-twenties glanced up from the desk, then started shifting through the papers on his desk. "Oh, yes, you're back already," he murmured to the soldier, fixing his glasses and glancing up. "And you're Ludwig?"

Ludwig stared calmly back at the man. "…uh, yes," he replied slowly.

"Right, and how old are you?"

"Twenty," he answered without missing a beat.

The man glanced back down at his papers. "It says here you're sixteen," he said, looking back up with an annoyed look on his face.

Ludwig felt a vein pulse in his temple. Even the people he'd left at home believed that lie, everyone but his own brother. Somehow, without it, he felt so much more vulnerable. "Um…ja," he muttered softly. "Ja, I'm sixteen."

The man rolled his eyes, flipping through some more papers, scattering some on the floor. "Great. Now that _that's_ out of the way…" he looked at another file, then glanced at an bulky computer. "Well, it seems you also attacked a civilian in the lobby a minute ago…?"

Ludwig felt a vein pulsing in his forehead. He felt as though this was going to be much more difficult than it should be. "Listen—"

"Ve~ Ludwig didn't attack me!"

There was a pause. Everyone slowly turned toward the boy peaking through the doorway, who had momentarily forgotten he wasn't supposed to be there. His smile faded quickly at their annoyed faces. "O-Oh, I mean…um…Ve~ Ciao Roderich! How're you?" He smiled at the man, sliding into the room.

Roderich shook his head, breathing a calming sigh. "…Feliciano, why are you here?" He asked weakly.

"Well I was supposed to be buying food for dinner tonight, but then I went the wrong way but I was supposed to come here later so I just went in—"

"You know what, never mind…" He groaned, rubbing his head. "Just…just go home."

"But—"

Roderich quelled his protest with an annoyed glower. Feliciano pouted slightly, turning back toward the door. Ludwig wasn't sure if he should be annoyed or amused by this exchange, so he ignored the boy walked back through the door.

Roderich sighed again, turning back toward his papers. "You're supposed to serve out your, um, 'community service' nearby, but I highly doubt anyone is going to want to accept you if you attacked—"

"How come Ludwig is doing community service?" Feliciano asked, glancing back through the doorway.

"Feliciano I just told you to go home," Roderich snapped at him. He turned back toward Ludwig, who had glanced at the other boy. _What on earth is with this kid? _He thought, annoyed.

Roderich continued. "Well, unless someone takes you, you'll be sent back to the prisons to be held until someone decided to accept your help—"

"Is he gonna clean the street or something?" Came the boy's voice again.

"Feliciano!" Roderich snapped. "_Please_ leave!"

"Aww…" Feliciano kept pouting, "why? I'm supposed to get something anyway!"

Roderich eyed him skeptically. "And what could _you_ possibly be getting?" He asked.

Feliciano shrugged. "Ve~ I dunno! Lovino told me to pick something up! Oh, here," he started rummaging through his pocket. He pulled out a pen, a fork, and several wads of something out of his pocket before he found some sort of envelope.

Ludwig stared for a few seconds, revolted by the contents of the kids pocket, but it seemed that this was normal behavior as Roderich just sighed and took the paper from him. He scanned the paper for a few seconds, his eyebrows rising slightly. Then he looked up at Ludwig. "Well, it seems we know where you're going now," he said.

* * *

_So, another chapter out. (I'm sure Ludwig is thrilled now.) Can't wait to introduce some of my favorite ones next chapter~! I'm going to add more little first person sections explaining the world in each chapter, too, I like those._

_So yup, Austria is an accountant. I'm sure he hates the job, but hey, people need to work for a living (he composes music at home and dreams of being a pianist). Go ahead and guess some of the unnamed characters so far (only, like, two)._

_Glad people are liking my story so far. I'm not sure if I like how this one came out, but I couldn't add much more than this. Please review, though, I love hearing feedback!_


	3. Welcome to the Neighborhood

Ludwig and Feliciano stood silently outside of the building, Ludwig focused extremely hard on not looking at the boy next to him. The boy that now essentially owned him. Gott, what the hell was happening to him…?

He was watching the boy intently from the corner of his eye, waiting for him to move or speak or, well, do something. The kid was just smiling, looking excited. After a few seconds, he turned toward Ludwig. "Ve~ So are you gonna be like a maid or something?"

Ludwig wanted to glare at the kid (or maybe punch him in the throat), but only succeeded in looking confused. "E-Excuse me?"

"Well, Lovino had been saying something about getting a maid or something since he doesn't like cleaning much, so are you a maid?"

Ludwig wanted to wrap his fingers tightly around the kid's throat and _squeeze_. He clenched his jaw and flexed his fingers, but he forced himself to growl, "Nein, I am _not_ a maid."

The kid looked disappointed. "Oh, okay. Oh well! So, Ludwig, let's go~!" He'd cheered back up in a matter of seconds and started skipping down the stairs in front of the building two at a time. Ludwig watched him, trying to breathe evenly. Anger and revulsion coursed through his veins. Slowly, he started down the stairs after Feliciano, jaw still clenched.

It took only a few seconds to catch up to Feliciano, because he'd stopped about halfway down the stairs to catch his breath. He was panting slightly, and looked up at Ludwig. "W-Wah, there're a lot of stairs," he gasped, smiling up at Ludwig as if he was going to smile back.

Ludwig glared at him. _You're not the one who hasn't eaten, _he thought savagely, wishing Feliciano could see all the hate in his eyes. _You're not the one who's been dragged from his home. You're not the one who hasn't truly slept in days._

Feliciano's smile faltered for a second. He straightened up, then smiled again, although he looked slightly more nervous. "V-Ve~ I'm sorry, you probably wanna get going! Come on, let's go!" He turned and started down the stairs again.

Ludwig dearly wanted to lash out, to knock him down the stairs. But he knew that would be a horrible idea, in front of so many people. He started resentfully after Feliciano.

And, as if someone has heard his thoughts, Feliciano almost immediately slipped forward on one of the stairs. He tumbled forward suddenly, yelping. Ludwig acted on reflex, his hand shooting out and grabbing the boy's arm before he could fall.

There was a few seconds of silence. Although he wasn't very heavy, just grabbing him made Ludwig feel light headed. He quickly let go as soon as Feliciano scrambled back to his feet. Feliciano turned toward him. "…w-wow!" He stammered, wide-eyed. "You saved my life!"

Ludwig sighed. "U-Um, ja, sure—"

The boy practically tackled him into a hug. "Wow, you're so cool! Thanks Ludwig!"

Ludwig stiffened. He wasn't sure how to respond to this show of affection. He gingerly grabbed the boy's shoulder and pushed him back slightly. Hugging was never something Ludwig had been fond of, not even from Gilbert. "Um, no problem…" he muttered.

Feliciano smiled at him. "Okay, come on, let's go!" He immediately continued to skip down the stairs, two at a time.

Watching him carefully, Ludwig asked, "Should you really keep doing that?"

Feliciano glanced up. "Huh? What do you—?" he slipped again, but managed to regain his balance before Ludwig could make another grab at him. "What do you mean?" He continued obliviously.

Ludwig stared at him for a good minute, slowly making his way after him. The kid was, without a doubt, the biggest idiot he'd ever met.

They continued walking, down the marble steps and through a small paved square, until they reached Feliciano's car, parked on the street. It was bright red, without a roof. Ludwig paused and eyed the metal contraption cautiously. "Um, this is…yours?" He asked.

"Si~!" Feliciano answered excitedly, hopping into the driver's seat. "I got it for my birthday from my big brother! Francis I mean, not Lovino, Lovi never buys me things, but isn't it fantasctico?" He smiled brightly up at Ludwig. Then his face fell slightly. "How come you're not getting in?"

Ludwig blinked. He felt the blood drain from his face. "Oh, ja," he mumbled, glancing back down. He climbed in uneasily, sitting down slowly in the leather seat. There was no seat belt. He took a deep breath. "U-Um, alright…"

Feliciano looked slightly hurt. "You don't like it?"

"N-Nein, I…I just…have never been in a car…" he said slowly, deciding the truck from earlier could hardly count.

Feliciano's eyes lit up. "Really? Ve~ Then this'll be fun!" He smiled and started the car, and suddenly, before Ludwig even had time to prepare himself, they shot forward, as if fired from a bullet.

Ludwig would've screamed if the air in his lungs hadn't been smashed out of him as they sped forward. He grabbed the seat wildly, digging his fingernails into the leather. Somehow, Feliciano was giggling from next to him, his smile wide and uncaring. He looked as if he were enjoying himself.

Ludwig turned to look at the blurred town passing by. Everything was still so huge, so brightly colored, but it all blurred together like something out of a dream. Some awful, horrible dream. He felt even more nauseous.

_For a split second, he thought he saw a little boy with white hair, screaming at the two bodies on the sidewalk, a confused toddler's terrified sobbing echoing from a few feet away—_

"Ludwig?"

Ludwig jumped and turned, seeing Feliciano looking at him. "Ve~ Don't you like the car?"

"J-Ja, ja," he stammered, glancing back and seeing the sidewalk empty. "B-But you can slow down…"

…

Miraculously, they'd gotten to a nearby neighborhood in one piece. Ludwig was staring at his legs, unsure if he'd be able to pry his fingers from the seat anymore. His arms were still shaking slightly when Feliciano finally pulled to a stop. "Ve~ So this is where I live!" He announced proudly.

Ludwig glanced up, and almost gasped.

It was easily ten times the size of his own house. It was several stories high, with large windows and a huge door, and the lawn was enormous, covered in vibrant flowers and emerald grass and swaying trees. There was a small vegetable garden in the corner of the yard, with small green tomatoes swaying on the vines.

Ludwig's mouth had fallen open. Giggling, Feliciano looked up at him. "Do you like it?" He asked, hopping out of his seat.

"How in the hell is it that big?" He managed to ask, climbing out after Feliciano, who had begun to walk up the paved pathway.

Feliciano smiled. "Well, it's not really _that_ big. Oh, oh, so," he turned away, glancing around, pulling Ludwig with him, "that house right there," he pointed to the nearest house, "that's where big brother Francis lives!" It was almost as large as Feliciano's, though it's yard not as large. "He's really, really nice! I bet you'll like him!"

"…sure I will…" he murmured skeptically.

"So that next house," he motioned farther, to another large house, "is big brother Antonio's house! He's super nice too! He and Lovi hang out a ton!" This one was harder to see, but must've been larger than Feliciano's. The garden, though, was massive, full of all sorts of edible plants, including rows and rows of tomatoes (which seemed to be much bigger than the ones in Feliciano's garden).

"Across the street is where Roderich lives, you met him a little bit ago," he continued, turning Ludwig around some more. He was starting to feel dizzy again. "He used to babysit me when I was younger. He just got married too, and his wife is my best friend ever! Roderich doesn't hang out with me much anymore though.

"Oh, and on this side is that guy from earlier, his name is Vash I think!" He said, finally spinning Ludwig completely around. "He's scary; sometimes he shoots at me when I forget to put clothes on in the morning."

"W-Wait, what—?"

"Oh hey, his little sister's outside!" He suddenly waved at a small girl working in a garden. The girl looked up, startled, and gave a weak wave. She looked vaguely familiar to Ludwig. Her hair certainly resembled her brother's, and if not for her dress, he could've easily mistaken her for a boy. She quickly retreated back into her house. "Ve~ She's kinda shy," Feliciano told Ludwig.

Ludwig frowned slightly, but before he could ask anything about, well, anything, Feliciano had grabbed his hand and started pulling him toward the house. "So that's all the neighbors I know really well, but there're lots of other people who live around, I have this friend Feliks that lives across town who painted his house pink, hey Ludwig do you like pink, I think it's cute…"

The boy rambled on as he dragged Ludwig into the house, but Ludwig started tuning it out as he entered through the threshold. The front room was spacious, with a high ceiling and plenty of fancy furniture, and a large staircase leading up to a second floor.

"Ve~ So this is my house! It's pretty huh? Sometimes big brother Francis helps me decorate, he's good at that stuff, his house is really pretty! Um, I don't think Lovino is home yet though, I'll introduce you guys later!

"So this is the kitchen," he started, motioning toward one room, "this one's the living room, up there are mine and Lovi's rooms, yours is gonna be this way, and this one's the bathroom!" He paused, looking at the last room he pointed toward. "Oh, um, that reminds me…" he ran over quickly. "U-Um, I'll be right back—" He slammed the door.

Ludwig stared at the door for a few moments, then sighed. His head was still spinning, trying to make sense of all this new information he'd been given. He had to sort through it, to make a plan. He started rubbing his throbbing temple, which had started throbbing some time after they'd left that last building.

He started looking around at the different rooms. _The bathroom. The living room. The kitchen. Feliciano's and Lovino's rooms. The kitchen. His room. The kitchen._

_The kitchen…_

He stared at the kitchen for a second. He felt his stomach growl. Glancing at the bathroom door, he started creeping toward the next room, silent as a mouse. In a few seconds, he had slipped inside.

It was a beautiful kitchen, with fancy counters and cupboards, but Ludwig only had eyes for one thing: the fridge. He bolted over as fast as he could. Hell, he lived here technically now, right? He could have some food if he wanted.

The fridge was the size of a closet! It was as tall as Ludwig was, and full to the brim with colorful foods that Ludwig could only dream of. Hell, maybe not, he had no idea what half the stuff was! There were brightly colored fruits, some sort of pointy looking plant thing, and rows upon rows of some sort of fancy-looking noodle dish. He grabbed the first recognizable thing he found, a potato, and started scarfing it down quickly. He could just slip back into the other room, Feliciano wouldn't notice anything.

The door slammed open. "Hey Feliciano!" A voice yelled suddenly. Ludwig stiffened. _Oh scheiße…_

"You get the groceries?" The young man called out, looking annoyed as he stormed into the room. "'Cause I swear if you forgot agai—" He froze.

Ludwig and the young man who could only be Lovino stared at each other for a few seconds, like deer in headlights. The brotherly resemblance between Lovino and Feliciano was undeniable. They were practically identical, although both Lovino's hair and eyes were darker, and his curl seemed to point in the opposite direction.

Ludwig coughed uncomfortably, gingerly lowering the potato from his mouth. "U-Um…hallo…"

"_AAAAGGGGHHH_ _WHAT THE FUCKING HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY FUCKING HOUSE_?" Lovino screamed at the top of his lungs, causing Ludwig to practically jump out of his skin. Lovino grabbed the nearest item, a small coffee maker, and flung it as hard as he could at Ludwig.

Ludwig jumped back as it clattered to the floor near his feet. "W-Wait, I—"

"YOU FUCKING ROBBER!" He screamed, trying to throw a chair too, and a table. "BASTARD, GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

"W-Wait, Lovino stop, I'm not a robber—"

"H-HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?" He screeched, staring wildly at Ludwig.

"O-Oh, Feliciano told me, but—"

"STALKER!" He grabbed a few plates and threw them too, not a single one of them hitting its mark, instead shattering on the floor. "YOU EVIL STALKER PSYCHO BASTARD GET AWAY FROM ME, I SWEAR TO GOD I-I'LL GET ANTONIO TO KICK YOUR ASS—"

"W-What? Nein, I'm not—"

"_**AAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!**_" And with that, Lovino grabbed a chair and launched himself at Ludwig. Unfortunately, he couldn't quite lift it up, but he still managed to swing it as he stumbled forward, and both it and Lovino collided with Ludwig's stomach.

"Ve~ Oh hi Lovino~!" Feliciano called, suddenly walking into the room. "Have you met Ludwig yet—?" He froze, seeing Ludwig currently wrestling Lovino to the floor. "Um, what're you doing?"

Lovino stared up at him, breathing heavily. "W…W-Wha…?" He looked up at Ludwig, then at his brother. "H-How…w-what…who…?"

"L-Ludwig, why're you sitting on my brother?" Feliciano stammered, looking frightened.

Ludwig immediately scrambled up. "He, uh, he was just," he tried to stammer, but Lovino hopped to his feet first.

"FELICIANO WHAT THE HELL?" He screamed, smacking Feliciano as hard as he could. Feliciano yelped and stumbled sideways, but Lovino kept yelling. "You don't just fucking bring men home with you, this bastard tried to kill me—"

"I didn't do anything!" Ludwig protested.

"SHUT UP!" Lovino screamed furiously, rounding on him. "JUST SHUT UP!"

A strange thing happened. As Ludwig opened his mouth to protest again, the mark on his chest suddenly burned white hot. He almost yelped but he couldn't breathe. He shut his mouth quickly, grabbing his chest, but just as suddenly as it had started, the pain disappeared.

Lovino of course didn't notice Ludwig's momentary discomfort. "And why the hell were you with Feliciano anyway?" He snapped. "Feliciano, why're you bringing weird men home with you? _Are you gay? __**DID YOU MOLEST MY BROTHER YOU SON OF A BITCH?**_" He leapt savagely at Ludwig again, who jumped backward before Feliciano was able to grab his brother.

"Lovi, stop!" Feliciano tried weakly, but hearing his brother talk seemed to just incense him more.

"Shut _UP,_ Feliciano!" He yelled, glaring furiously at his brother. Feliciano whimpered, covering his face. Ludwig, starting to get worried, stepped between the two of them.

"Listen, Lovino," Ludwig started before he could go back to shouting, "Feliciano brought me here because you told him to."

Lovino glared up at him, looking agitated. "Che cosa? What the hell are you talking about, bastard? Who the hell are you?"

Before Ludwig could explain, Feliciano piped up. "Well, I stopped by the town hall place like you said and gave them that little paper and they said that he was supposed to do community service stuff or something so we came home!"

Lovino's eyes widened. He stared at Ludwig, then at Feliciano. "_Wait, you?_" He asked, looking horrified. "You're the…merda…" He pressed his palm to his forehead, shaking his head. "Ugh…why the…?"

"Ve~ What's wrong fratello?"

Lovino glared at both of them (though mostly Ludwig). He suddenly swiped the potato out of Ludwig's hand. "Gimme that you…you…you stupid potato bastard!" He snapped, then stormed into the next room, slamming the door as he left.

* * *

_Me and Feliciano are running out of money._

_I-I mean, he doesn't know about it, though. So don't mention it to him if you see him. He still thinks we're living off of Grandpa's inheritance, but it's almost gone now. I guess when we were being taken care of when we were younger the government had to use our money. I dunno why, or how, or whatever…_

_Um, right, so Grandpa died when I was about twelve or so. He was great, although he liked Feliciano way better. I mean, I don't blame him much, I understand why…_

_Anyway, dunno exactly what happened. They told us they arrested the guy who killed him. Didn't do too much for me though. They didn't kill the bastard like he deserved, and we were still alone, me and Feliciano. Cause we never knew our parents. I guess our Grandpa slept around a lot and didn't realize he had a kid 'til she died in childbirth. Oh well, at least he liked one of us, so it wasn't that bad for him._

_Still, I was sad when he died. Someday I'm gonna kill the bastard that got him…_

_Right, so me and Feliciano got sent different places. They were nearby though; Feli lived with that Roderich guy, and that girl moved in with them a few years ago. Elise? Elizabeth? Ah, something. She and Feliciano are like best friends, it's disgusting._

_Yeah, I got sent with this jack-ass Antonio. He's this stupid bastard that lives down the street and is so obnoxious. He's got messy hair and green eyes, and he's tall and muscular and shit, you know? And he's always hugging me and calling me a cute tomato a-and kissing my cheeks and—and—_chigiii…

_U-Um, anyway, so as soon as I was old enough to take care of myself I got out of that hellhole. We got our house back and I took care of Feli. It's been a year. We're almost broke already. I just…I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Hell, I don't know anything about being an older brother, or taking care of him…_

_I need a job, but I don't have any idea how do to anything. I can't clean or cook or paint, and people just don't like me much. Antonio lent me some money, but it's not enough to live off of. Well, yeah, so I got this servant person to take care of Feli while I try to get all this money shit sorted out. I just hope I can figure all this out before it's too late._

_(Oh god, why did it have to be that huge freak? I mean, did you see that son of a bitch, he's huge! He could take advantage of Feliciano easily, I mean, the kid has the IQ of a dead peanut, and trusts just about anyone and can't defend himself since he's such a sissy! Ugh, why couldn't it have been a pretty girl…?)_

* * *

_Hi guys!_

_Well, new chapter. Yay! I always love it when Lovino get's mad. It's, like, the funnest thing ever. Sorry for all the swearing. But he's Lovi, he's always gonna swear! Still got a shit-ton of characters to introduce, but I think that's at least most of them! :)_

_Feel free to review, I love getting them! And I promise to respond as soon as possible!_


	4. The Ghost and the Devil

The largest factory in the sunless slums stood out against the grey sky like a decaying animal. Its walls were blackened from the fire that had destroyed it and so many workers years ago. The windows were shattered, and the floors were black. The archaic machinery had been smashed and scorched and left throughout the building, blood still dried and visible on the blades. What these machines had been used for was long forgotten.

Gilbert Beilschmidt leaned calmly against the grimy wall, staring up at the shattered skylight in the center of the ceiling. His white hair was unbrushed and stuck up in places, and his scarlet eyes were tired and dull. He yawned slightly, scratching the side of his head and tucking the old walkie-talkie he'd been using a moment ago into the pocket of his ratty pants. He'd been standing there for a good portion of the morning, alone, listening.

He heard a noise and immediately crouched down, turning and grabbing his pistol. But he relaxed slightly when he heard giggling. He peaked through the window. Just some kids, sneaking into the abandoned building for a laugh. He rolled his eyes, then jumped out the door. "Boo!" He yelled.

The giggling turned to screams, and the boys scrambled backward, howling bloody murder and scampering away. Gilbert started laughing, wiping his eyes. Gott he loved kids. Or at least messing with them.

"U-Um, excuse Mr. Beilschmidt…"

He stiffened again and spun around again. There was a boy, maybe his brother's age, standing in a doorway leading deeper into the factory. His brown hair was shoulder length and looked as if he'd attempted to brush it, but his clothes were torn and dirty. "W…What were you doing?" He asked quietly, looking slightly worried.

Gilbert grinned at him. "I look kinda like a ghost, right? Kesesese, kids must've wet themselves…" He snickered some more. He glanced up at the kid. "Well? So what's the deal, you people asking to see me?"

The boy nodded quickly. "R-Right, sorry," he apologized. "Um, well, right this way, Mr. Braginski is anxious to talk to you."

Gilbert sighed and nodded, walking after him with his hands tucked into his pockets, still gripping his gun out of sight…

* * *

_Hey. You wanna know what the devil looks like? Let me describe him to you: His hair is white-blond and his eyes are violet and cold as death. He's massive and pale, and has this awful childlike smile that will be the last thing you see when he drags you down to hell, laughing all the while…_

_Sounds kinda like a ghost story huh? Scary._

_Right, so I'm gonna explain a little bit more about this war, alright? 'Cause it's not awesome just kinda throwing you guys in here without understanding anything. Okay, well, there're three sides fighting. Sounds kinda dumb at first, but trust me, when it's a choice between the devil and hell on earth, you're gonna try for a third option._

_Okay, so the first side of the War is the government guys. You never know much about them, they don't show their cowardly faces in public. They use blackmail and deceit and, uh, some third thing Ludwig figured out, to control everything. They have a shit-ton of things we don't have here in the slums. Like magic. They control the magic._

_I really don't get magic. I mean, what? What is magic? I'm sure there's some whole philosophical crap-ton of useless scheiße that can explain it, but hey, not helpful. From what I've figured out, though, there're several important points you should know._

_First is Mages. I think that's what they're called. Magicians? Sorcerers? Something. Well, they're magic people that do magic. Easiest way to put it. They do everything the government tells 'em to, why I have no idea. There're not that many of them though, so it's not like it's the hugest problem in the world._

_Other magic is this stuff called Magitech. Imaginative, right? It's like this stuff that sucks the energy out of those fossil fuels and makes them not kill you slowly. Kinda works like a battery; at least, that's what it's used for out where the sky isn't the color of smoke._

_Problem with that is it's super expensive. And the factories that make it still poison the air and are dangerous and evil beyond anything you can freaking imagine. So I guess the government thought, _'Hey, why don't we just slowly poison the slums! It's not like they're real people~!' _And, um, well, ja that's one problem we got here…_

_Anyway, so the second side of the War: Ivan Braginski. He is basically what evil come to life would look like if it wore a creepy smile and a tacky scarf. He's brutal and ruthless and will kill you if you're in his way. Which is _not_ awesome for civilians, on either side. Err, not awesome for anyone actually._

_They've wiped entire towns clean off the maps. I mean, the government won't take them seriously until they actually threaten someone 'important', but Ivan Braginski doesn't care. He just wants blood, and a lot of it._

_He has this crazy idea about making a utopia. Like, a perfect place where everyone is 'equal' and no one will oppress us anymore. But I know it's all a load of scheiße. He calls it _"Mark's-ism" _or _"Communitism" _or something weird like that. But it's nothing more than smoke and mirrors, and I really can't figure out what his real goal is._

_The problem about his 'utopia' thing is that even though it's just a bunch of shit, people believe him. He's got all these people following him. People that believe him. People that are afraid to _not_ believe him. If he manages to get any more people he could cause some serious damage…_

_Well, last, but __certainly__ not least, is the resistance movement, lead by none other than the Awesomeness that is Gilbert Beilschmidt! Kesesese~ _

_Ja, so it's me and Ludwig and Elizabeta, and a bunch of guys who've realized that Braginski is a monster and the current system is hell. The three of us have been rounding up fighters and chipping away at the enemy's defenses for almost four years and…_

…_err…_

…

…_well,_ _maybe now it's just me…_

_Elizabeta and me had been the commanders. We started everything. She had been my neighbor, my best friend. She was…strong and pretty and wonderful. They captured her a year after we started fighting though. I haven't heard from her in two years. I don't even know if she's still alive…_

_But I'd always had Ludwig with me. He was my brother, my second in command. He was my little brother. I was supposed to protect him…_

_God _damn_ it, why am I using past tense? He's alive! I know he is. There'd been a few survivors of the ambush, that Kiku kid, he'd said he saw them take Ludwig, he's not dead! I know he's not! I know he's not…_

* * *

The boy walked through some hallways, and Gilbert began to see more and more people walking around. They'd known for a while where Braginski and his men were hiding, but they'd never gotten near. Too dangerous. Not enough men or weapons.

But now here he was. Alone in enemy territory. With only a pistol and a walkie-talkie.

Awesome.

This was why Ludwig would always listen to his plans before they were put in action. Ludwig was the calm one, the clever one. He knew when one of Gilbert's ideas was dangerous or rash. He always knew what to do. But Ludwig was gone.

Gilbert sighed and calmly followed after the kid leading him deeper into the factory. Oh well, no use just complaining when there's awesome shit to be done!

They seemed to meander for a while, until they finally reached a large door of what had been an office years ago. The boy nervously grabbed the door, took a deep breath, and pulled it open.

Ivan Braginski, sitting calmly at a small, wooden table, glanced up. A childlike smile broke across his face. "Gilbert! Привет!"

The person sitting across from him turned abruptly, looking startled. And his brown eyes grew wider at the sight of Gilbert. "Wha…?" He spun around to frown at the other. "Why is—?"

"We will continue this discussion later then, да?" Ivan interrupted.

The young man looked taken aback. "W-What? B-But this is important, I think more important that anything _he_ has to say aru—"

"We will continue this discussion _later_, да?" Ivan repeated, his eyes flashing dangerously.

The other paled slightly at the dismissal, then stood up, brushing his long dark hair back in a huff. He brushed angrily past Gilbert and the boy who had led him there, scowling at the both of them. Before he passed through the door, however, Ivan frowned. "Oh, yes, Yao!" The man turned. Ivan looked up at Gilbert. "Will you hold our guest's gun?"

The young man blinked, then frowned, looking nervous. "I-I am not your servant aru—"

"But you do work for me," Ivan said softly.

There was a long silence, then Yao turned toward Gilbert, holding out his hand. Gilbert glowered at him, then at Ivan, his hands tightening around the pistol still in his pocket. Ivan was smiling calmly at him. Finally, Gilbert pulled the pistol, and placed it in the other man's hand. Yao quickly turned and disappeared through the door.

Gilbert warily turned back toward Ivan. "You will take a seat," Ivan said with a smile. Gilbert could hear that it wasn't a request, but he didn't move, just raising his eyebrow. Ivan, of course, didn't comment. "Do you want any vodka? _Toris!_"

The boy, who had been silently edging toward the door, jumped, straightening up quickly. "Y-Y-Yes sir—?"

"You will bring our guest some vodka," Ivan told him.

Toris nodded quickly. "Of course sir, right away." And he dashed from the room as fast as his legs could carry him.

Gilbert watched the young man run. "I don't want any vodka," he told the other, turning back around with an insolent smirk. "It's disgusting. I like beer a hell of a lot better."

Ivan didn't seem to hear him. "I am glad you could come," he said cheerily. "I was afraid I would need to drag you here myself!" He smiled up at him. "Why are you not sitting?" He asked suddenly.

Gilbert sighed. Gott he wished he'd stayed home; this guy was insane. "Listen, Braginski—"

"Why do you call me that?" He asked curiously, interrupting Gilbert. "You should call me Ivan, you are my friend."

Gilbert narrowed his eyes. "We're not friends," he replied coolly.

A strangle gleam appeared in the other's violet eyes. "I think you will want to change that soon," he replied.

Gilbert frowned, but before he could ask what he meant, the door opened, and Toris stumbled inside with two small glasses and a large bottle of vodka. Ivan frowned at him. "Only one bottle?" He asked. The boy tried to stammer an apology, but Ivan held up a gloved hand, silencing him. "I do not care, go get Eduard."

"R-Right, of course." He disappeared again.

Gilbert watched him disappear. He could hear the clink of glasses, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Ivan place a glass onto the table in front of him. He turned back toward Ivan and crossed his arms. "So, Braginski," he muttered, plopping into the chair and leaning back, propping his legs onto the table "what do you want with the awesome me?"

Ivan simply took a long drink from his own glass, draining it in a matter of seconds. "Дa, I was going to talk to you about your brother Ludwig."

Gilbert's heart stopped.

"W…What?"

Ivan smiled, calmly pouring out more vodka into his glass. "You should drink some vodka," he told him, without looking up. "Vodka is good for you."

Gilbert stared at him, unable to breathe. Shakily, Gilbert grabbed the glass and took a swig. He almost coughed, feeling the fiery liquid slide down his throat, but forced himself to swallow. Then he placed the glass back down. "So, what the hell are you talking about?" He asked evenly, forcing himself to look bored forcing himself to relax.

"Well, I never knew you had a brother!" Ivan exclaimed, refilling Gilbert's glass. "Why keep secrets from your friends? But then again," he took another gulp of vodka, "it would be dangerous if people knew you had a brother, дa? I wonder if they've made the connection. He could be a good hostage. Or a good corpse."

Gilbert forced a sneer, his hand tightening around his glass. "Listen, I don't know what you're talking about—"

"M-Mister Braginski," a voice stammered, and Gilbert turned to see a nervous blond boy with a computer standing in the doorway, his glasses crooked on his face. "You, um, wanted to see me?" He asked.

"Дa, why don't you show our new friend what you found yesterday?" Ivan suggested.

Eduard looked confused, but nodded quickly, pulling open his computer. "O-Of course! Um, where was it…it was… here, 'Ludwig Beilschmidt, age sixteen, currently serving his life sentence for treason, requested at the Vargas household at—"

"Thank you, Eduard," Ivan interrupted.

Eduard jumped, then nodded quickly. "Y-Yes, of course, sorry," he stammered, closing the computer.

Gilbert stared blankly at the computer in the kid's arms. So they had Ludwig. He definitely was alive. And, of course, Ivan knew who he was. "You didn't tell me where he was," He commented, although to whom he wasn't entirely sure.

Ivan just smiled. "Then it wouldn't be fun!" He replied. Gilbert scowled at him, but before he could make a retort, Ivan had already stood up. "So, are you ready to be my friend," he asked with that childlike smile spread across his face.

Gilbert smirked slightly at the man standing across from him. "Kesese, why would the awesome me want to be your friend—?"

"Because I know where Ludwig is," Ivan replied, now taking a long drink from the bottle of vodka. "Because you don't have enough men to go and help him by yourself. Because any second they could find out who he is. Because it is only a matter of time before I get bored and decide to destroy the town he is in."

Gilbert bristled at that last statement. "You wouldn't—"

"Why not?" Ivan interrupted. "It is only a matter of time before they find out who he is, дa? He is a dead man! But…" he placed the empty bottle onto the table, "perhaps if you agree to help me, we could find him in time!" He fixed Gilbert with a questioning stare. "Are you ready to be my friend?"

Gilbert stared back at him. He stared into those calm violet eyes, refusing to break eye contact. He couldn't see a way out of this. He needed to save Ludwig. He had to. Before someone found out who he was, before someone killed him, before he lost someone else.

"…what do you want me to do…?"

* * *

_I love Gilbert, but this is a pretty angsty chapter huh? I just love pissing Rachel of with angst~! Yeah, that's right, Rachel, this is your fault. :)_

_So here are a bunch more of my favorite characters. God, I like these characters waaaay to much. I lo__v__e all of them!_

_Thank you all for your comments and reviews and favorites and the like! I know I've said this before, but seriously, thanks!_


	5. Enigma

Ludwig stared at the mess of sauces, spices, and some sort of floury substance currently smeared across the floors, counters, and table of the spacious kitchen in the Vargas household. He couldn't help but wonder just what the hell that insane kid had been doing. Had the pasta exploded? And he hadn't been even there since this morning, what on earth did he make so early anyway?

Ludwig sighed, then pushed back his bangs, rolled up his sleeves, and began to slowly mop up the wreckage that had only this morning had been a kitchen.

It had been a very long week for Ludwig Beilschmidt. He had been forced to participate in every single menial task around the massive building as soon as the Vargas boys woke up, from unclogging a toilet to cleaning the living room to tying a certain sniveling boy's shoe laces every single morning. It was as if the two boys living in the house had absolutely no way of taking care of themselves.

He'd taken as many mental notes as he could, on everyone he had seen. He'd met a few of the neighbors. That 'Vash' guy threatened to shoot Feliciano only yesterday. Roderich, from across the street, would rarely leave his house, but Ludwig had put together that he was almost always at the piano whenever he was home. He hadn't met his wife, or any of the other neighbors nearby, although Lovino did seem to talk about Antonio often (never anything good of course).

He suddenly slipped forward, dropping his mop onto the floor and grabbing onto the counter for support. He cursed softly, straightening back up. He'd never get lost in his own thoughts back home; he'd always had to stay focused. Mostly because Gilbert certainly wouldn't.

He took a deep breath. Focus. Always focus. He continued to mop, but found his thoughts wandering again.

Lovino and Feliciano were certainly interesting characters. He never admitted to having a firm grasp on other people, and he never would, but Feliciano and Lovino were almost impossible to read, to understand.

Ludwig was sure that Lovino was bipolar. One moment he was scowling in the corner, pouting about one thing or another, next he was shouting at Ludwig for glancing at him the wrong way. He was always angry and surly, and, fortunately, rarely home. Ludwig wasn't sure what he did for a living, but he didn't care. Just as long as he left him alone, Ludwig could survive.

Feliciano was by far was much more of a puzzle for Ludwig. Anger, shouting, hate, these were what he grew up with on the streets. He understood those. He could handle those. He could break a person's arm with his hand, he could fight, he could survive just about anything.

Until Feliciano would practically tackle him into a hug every chance he got.

Within the span of seven days, Feliciano had seemed to convince himself that he and Ludwig were the best of friends. Why he was not sure. He'd never given the boy any incentive to follow him like a lost puppy. He'd never given the boy any indication that he cared about his wellbeing. In fact, he'd done just the opposite. So what on earth convinced this idiotic kid otherwise?

Feliciano, as it turned out, was the same age as Ludwig. He still went to school, so Ludwig didn't have to worry about him most days. Which was a relief. Except that today was the end of the school week, which meant two days of, well, Feliciano.

It took him almost an hour to finally finish in the kitchen, polishing everything until it shined. It was much easier to do that here than at home. He'd also started also keeping track of improvements of these houses as compared to his own home (which was around, um, fifty four at the moment).

He pulled the small note out of his pocket and began scanning through Lovino's messy handwriting. Next on the list: gardening.

He inwardly groaned and strode out, slipping the mop back into the small closet and walking outside. Grabbing the water can, he walked over toward the small tomato garden and glared hatefully at the yellowing plants. He'd never hated a vegetable nearly as much as he hated these tomatoes. (Or were they fruit? Gott, he did not care.)

He dumped the water onto the nearest tomato. They needed lots of water, right? Hell, he knew nothing about gardening. Give him a broken gun, he could fix it, give him a wound he could patch it up as well as any doctor in the slums. Give him a plant and he was going to _burn_ it.

He trudged back to the house, refilled the can, came back, and drenched the tomato plant again, only to curse when he realized he'd already finished that same plant only a moment ago. Grumbling, he turned back toward the house.

"Ve~ Ludwig hi~!"

Ludwig flinched, gritting his teeth and glancing up. Feliciano smiled up at him from the driveway, swinging his arms and practically skipping over to him. "Are you watering Lovi's garden?" He asked. Then he frowned. "Wow, that one's really wet."

"Uh…ja, it looked dryer than the others," Ludwig muttered.

Feliciano giggled. "Do you have a garden at your own house?" He asked. Ludwig didn't have time to answer, because Feliciano had already continued, "I like my garden, but it's really, really tiring to water everything. But sometimes I can take a nap and the grass is super comfy under that tree over there and it's nice and shady!" He yawned. "Actually, I'm gonna take a nap!"

Ludwig rolled his eyes (Gott he did that often now). "Have fun," he muttered.

He watched the kid flop into the grass under a large tree as he refilled the water can. He could already feel the telltale stinging of a sunburn forming on the back of his neck. Damn his fair skin. Damn it to hell. He stomped back over to the tomato plants and saturated the next plant furiously. He was a soldier; he shouldn't be made to do these menial, humiliating tasks!

"…Ludwig, what're you doing?" Feliciano asked curiously, watching him sleepily from the grass.

Ludwig glared at him. "Watering the plants," he muttered darkly. "Why?"

"Um, but why're you just dumping the water out like that?" He asked, sitting up.

Ludwig glanced at the watering can. "…well the other way wasn't working," he retorted. "Barely anything was coming out…" He was starting to feel agitated.

Feliciano hopped to his feet and walked over, grabbing the can. "No, you're supposed to pour it like that!" He explained, tilting the can and letting pour out the smaller end. "That way you can get more than one plant! See?"

"Ja, I can see," Ludwig snapped back, feeling uncomfortable at how close the boy was. That was another thing about the kid; Feliciano did not understand personal space. He tugged the can out of Feliciano's grip and continued watering the plants, scowling all the while.

Feliciano followed him as he worked, once again giving Ludwig the vision of a lost puppy. "Ve~ So did you have a nice day?" He asked as he trotted at Ludwig's heels. "I did, I brought pasta for lunch and it was really good, sorry for making a mess in the kitchen, and then I failed another math test but it was okay because I'm not 'officially' failing the class—"

"That's very nice Feliciano," Ludwig muttered, dropping the can and getting onto his knees to rip some weeds from the soft dirt.

"Uh huh, oh and it turns out the kid next to me, a guy named Alfred, tried to copy me and failed too and I saw Alfred's friend Arthur today he's really scary but he was only there to get him his backpack and he seems like a really angry guy but big brother Francis said he's sexy, whatever that means, even though they fight sometimes and—"

"That's _nice_, Feliciano," he muttered again, then cursed as the thorn on the weed he'd been pulling cut his thumb. He sighed, then tugged the weed out, straightening back up.

"Oh hey, are you finished yet Ludwig?" Feliciano asked excitedly, hopping up and down like a small child. "Come on, let's do something fun! Do you want pasta? Maybe we could cook! Or we could draw pictures!"

"Nein, I'm busy," Ludwig quickly replied. Gott, he did not want to spend more time with the boy than he needed to. "I still have more…stuff to do." He vaguely wondered why the boy didn't just tell him to take a break. He technically could make Ludwig do whatever he wanted…

"Aw," Feliciano mumbled, looking disappointed. "Okay…like what?"

"_Stuff!_" He snapped back. "Now leave me alone!"

Feliciano seemed to wilt slightly. "O-Okay," he mumbled to the ground, lower lip trembling slightly. "I-I'll just nap inside I guess…" He slunk back to the house looking dejected, head down and eyes welled up with tears.

Damn did that kid remind him of a lost puppy. Scheiße, why did he have to like dogs so much…?

…

"Oh damn it. Hey Feliciano," he called, following the boy back inside. He glanced at the list of chores he still had to do. _Clean my room. Clean Feliciano's room. _(Burn in hell was crossed off.) _Clean the kitchen. Unclog the damn toilet again. _They could wait a little he supposed.

"Hey Feliciano—_autsch_," he grunted slightly as the scrawny teenager trust a piece of paper into his chest. "What the—?"

"I'm sorry for making you mad here's a picture of a kitty I drew so don't be mad at me anymore," he stammered quickly.

Ludwig groaned, glancing down at the peace offering before doing a double take. The picture was…amazing. He looked closer, his eyebrows rising. It was detailed and almost lifelike, he could see the texture of the fur and the gleam in its eyes. "_You_ made this?" He questioned.

Feliciano nodded. "Uh huh, si, I did," he replied. "Do you like it?"

"…ja, this is…how did…how did you do this?" He asked.

Feliciano shrugged. "There was a kitty outside the window during math and I drew it on my test." Ludwig frowned and turned the picture over, finding a failed algebra test on the back. (For several questions he'd just written, 'X isn't a number, silly!') "Anyway, you can have it if you want it…"

"Um…" he glanced down at the paper. As he awkwardly folded it and pushed it into his pocket, he could see Feliciano practically light back up. "Okay, sure I guess," he muttered to him.

"Yay!" He cheered "So you liked it? Did you like its little whiskers? What was your favorite part? I liked drawing in the ears and its furry little paws and—"

"Um, yes, it was a good drawing, okay," he muttered, trying to calm the boy down. It really was easy to please the younger of the Vargas's. All he had to do was nod and say yes and pretend he was listening, and Feliciano would smile so brightly it seemed to light an entire room.

…Good God, did he really just use that expression?

"So Ludwig, are you doing anything tomorrow?" Feliciano asked. Then he paused. "Oh wait, no you're probably not. Anyway, we should hang out and do all kinds of fun stuff! We could get lunch or we could make it ourselves and make pasta sauce and we could meet all the neighbors and I could introduce you to Francis and Antonio and Eliza—"

"Yes, yes, alright whatever," Ludwig interrupted, seeing Feliciano's face starting to turn ever so slightly blue. "Fine, we can do whatever."

Suddenly, Feliciano had practically tackled him into another hug. "Ve~ You're so nice Ludwig!" He gushed, smiling up at Ludwig affectionately. "You're my best friend ever!"

Ludwig recoiled slightly from the hug, pushing the boy back. He felt his face heat up slightly. "O-Okay," he stammered quickly, "u-um, good for you." Under his breath he added, "Jeez do you have no other friends?"

…By far, the strangest thing about Feliciano is how Ludwig's heart would leap into his throat whenever they so much as touched… He shook this thought out of his head furiously. "Right, well, I should get back to these chores now…" He edged away slowly, turning to dash up the stairs. But Feliciano followed after him.

"Oh, I can help!" He declared happily.

"W-What? Um, nein, I-I'm fine," he told him. "Why don't you go nap?"

"No I wanna help Ludwig~!" He said, skipping up the stairs. "Come on!"

…

The tasks that should've taken five minutes took hours. He hadn't even finished Feliciano's room by the time Lovino had returned to scream at him. Feliciano's idea of help, it seemed, was to follow after him and knock over everything Ludwig had straightened out. Several times he had knocked something on top of himself and started yelling for help, bawling uncontrollably. He hadn't even gotten to Lovino's room by the time Lovino had decided to fall asleep.

Ludwig dragged himself down the stairs and toward the small closet that had been designated as his room. Lovino had said it was small enough to remind him of home. The only thing that annoyed him about that was that it was actually slightly bigger than his house was.

He collapsed into the bed, not even bothering to pull the blankets over himself. He was exhausted, and he really wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the burn on his chest, which seemed to flare slightly whenever Lovino started yelling. He shut his eyes, feeling unconsciousness overtaking him.

_And now he was suddenly fighting again. They were out of the slums, but maybe Gilbert wouldn't mind. They had followed a small group of soldiers from the slums and into the lower cities, the ones without as much money._

_Suddenly, there were more soldiers. How had they gotten there? There was gunfire everywhere, and screaming, and suddenly Ludwig was bleeding._

_He dived behind a collapsing concrete barrier. Kiku was there, his second in command, bleeding too, shouting something to him, but he couldn't hear. Then an explosion, and they both hit the ground, all of Ludwig's senses were gone he was—_

There was a soft thud.

Ludwig flinched, sitting up abruptly. It was pitch black, he couldn't see. What had made that noise? He knew it wasn't part of his dream, or it wouldn't have woken him up. Right? Breathing heavily, he forced himself back onto the bed.

His arm brushed against something. He yelped and leapt to his feet. Lying in the bed next to him was none other than Feliciano.

"Oh mein _Gott_," he growled furiously, grabbing the boy. "Feliciano, what the HELL do you think you're doing.

"W-Wha…? O-Ow, Ludwig, what're you doing?" He whimpered.

"Get out of my bed!" He snapped, glad for the darkness to hide his reddening face.

"B-But I-I-I had a b-bad dream and I-I…I-I…"

Ludwig frowned, letting his grip on the boy's shoulders loosen. "…Feliciano…? Are you crying?" He questioned, squinting at the boy through the darkness.

Suddenly, Feliciano practically attacked him, burying his face in Ludwig's chest and shaking slightly, saying something Ludwig couldn't quite hear over his heart pounding in his ears.

Ludwig stiffened, grimacing down at the boy. Scheiße, what was he supposed to do? He never knew what to do with people who cried. He tried to pat his shoulder. "U-Um, stop that," he demanded soft. "Um, stop crying…?"

"C-Can I sleep with you Ludwig?"

Ludwig stared down at him, his eyes practically bulging out of his sockets. "W-What?" He stammered. "N-Nein you can't, I can't, I-I mean, wait, I…" He shook his head. "Feliciano, this isn't…no, go back to your own room!" He snapped.

Feliciano murmured something else against Ludwig's chest, and Ludwig realized: 1.) It was in Italian, and 2.) He was already asleep.

Ludwig stared down at him. "You…You sly little bastard," he muttered angrily, trying to pry the boy off of him. But the boy wouldn't budge. He groaned, resting his head back on the pillow. He allowed his eyes to shut…

* * *

_Ve~ I have some pretty weird dreams sometimes._

_Sometimes they're really weird! Like that time I dreamed that my pasta came to life and we went to the beach! That was weird, and I only remember little bits and pieces of it and stuff._

_But then I have lots of other dreams too…_

_I had this dream about Grandpa's funeral once. I saw Lovino crying and I saw all my friends, big brother Francis was hugging me, trying to make me feel better, but I just kept crying. And when I woke up, I was still crying._

_And this was a week before Grandpa died._

_Well, Lovi says I should ignore these dreams. Because if the government people knew that I have weird dreams, I'd get in trouble he says. So I usually just ignore them. I don't get why it's such a big deal. I guess the government would think I was magic or something, but really, I just have funny dreams. __I don't have a lot of them either, so I don't have to worry too much._

_But I had a really scary one last night._

_So I have bad dreams about Grandpa sometimes, 'cause I was there when he died, and there were lots of gunshots and stuff. It was awful… But I've had that dream before, lots of times, usually I just wake up Lovi for a bit. But this one was different. This one I peeked out from behind the wall I was hiding behind._

_And I saw Ludwig there, and lots of blood. Why was Ludwig there? It didn't make any sense. __I was gonna scream, I was about to, but then we were somewhere else._

_In this new place Ludwig wasn't bleeding, which was good. I tried to run over to him. But then he… he was screaming at me, telling me to get away from him. I wasn't sure why, and I didn't want to go, but he said I would die, he would kill me, and I had to go._

_And there were more people there, but they hadn't been there a second ago, and I was gonna go, but the nearest one put a gun against my head. He was screaming at Ludwig, and Ludwig was screaming back, and then he ran, they both ran, there was a gunshot, and blood, and…_

…_and…_

…_well, then I woke up I guess._

_I-I hate those kinds of dreams. When I do have them I usually sleep in Lovino's room. He hates it though, he usually kicks me out, and I have to sleep on the floor. But today I…I wanted to sleep in Ludwig's room. He didn't seem too mad. Maybe he'll let me sleep with him more often~!_

_I like Ludwig, he's really nice. Maybe he doesn't show it _all_ the time, but I can see it in his eyes. He has nice eyes. They're really, really blue and even if they try to look angry I know they're actually kind. He's really cool too, he always helps me and Lovino out. I don't know why Lovino always bosses him around. (Ve~ Usually he's afraid of big people like Ludwig!)_

_I like Ludwig a whole lot. I'm glad he came here. He makes me feel safe! I hope this one was just a silly dream…_

* * *

_Pfft I thought I uploaded this a while ago. I was wondering why I never got the email. '^.^_

_Well, tah-dah~! Transition-chapter-type-thing. Mostly fluff I guess, hope everyone likes it. I wanted to make more things, but it ended up being a long chapter anyway._

_Damn thing wouldn't upload the first, like, eight times I tried to upload. Sorry that it's late._


	6. Meet the Neighbors

Ludwig stretched his arms sleepily, groaning slightly. Why couldn't he move his right arm? Something was on it. Ugh, maybe he should sleep a little longer…? He shook the thought from his head angrily. He was a soldier, he didn't sleep in. He tried to sit up.

Feliciano 'Ve'd softly in his sleep and snuggled his face into Ludwig's neck.

Ludwig stiffened, suddenly wide awake, and yelped, scrambling to his feet. Feliciano fell with a soft thud back onto the bed, still sounds asleep. Ludwig stared down at his bedmate's peaceful face in shock. _Holy shit he actually slept with me? _He thought frantically. He backed away, wide-eyed, then felt himself back into something. Spinning around, he came face to face with a pair of tired hazel eyes.

Lovino blinked groggily up at him, looking agitated. "Hey, what the hell…?" He muttered blearily. "Why the hell do you get up this early?" He yawned. "Ugh, I don't care. So I forgot but I need you to do some stuff 'cause Antonio was gonna show up today, not like I care that much, and I certainly didn't keep me up or anything, but yeah I need you to…to…" He trailed off, looking over his shoulder. "What the…?" He walked past. "…Feliciano…?"

Ludwig slammed the door behind himself as he sprinted away as fast as he physically could. _Oh no oh Gott oh shit oh fuck,_ he ducked into the kitchen, swearing savagely and silently. Lovino Vargas was going to kill him. He was a dead man walking.

He pressed the palm of his hand against his now throbbing head, grimacing. Why on earth did he think that was a good idea, letting that Dummkopf sleep with him? Lovino could kill him without a second thought. All he had to do was tell him to jump off a bridge, or take a knife and…oh shit…

Ludwig took a deep, calming breath, trying to determine what to do. He looked wildly around, trying to find something useful. (Crap, how late did he sleep, the clock already said eleven…) He shook his head and peaked into the front room. Empty. He took a deep breath, then sprinted for the door, pulling it open, and running headfirst into the man standing outside.

"Ack!"

Ludwig stumbled to a stop, startled. The young man in the doorway staggered backward slightly, almost dropping the bouquet of flowers he was holding tightly in his hands.

Ludwig and the young man stared at each other for a moment. "Um, ¡hola señor!" The young man said, still looking startled.

Ludwig stared back at him. "…what? Um, hallo," he replied uncertainly. "Uh…and you are?"

"Oh, lo siento," the man apologized with a smile, "my name is Antonio Fernández Carriedo. I live right down the street, right over there." He motioned wildly to his side, toward the large house Feliciano had pointed out almost a week ago.

Ludwig blinked. "Oh, you're Antonio?" He asked. He'd been very curious about the man that tormented Lovino on a daily basis. "Right, um, nice to meet you. Unfortunately I kind of need to get going—"

"Oh wait, you must be Ludwig, right?" Antonio suddenly realized.

Ludwig blinked. "Huh? Oh, oh yes, I am Ludwig, but I really need to—"

"Sí, it is nice to meet you!" Antonio grinned and shook his hand a little too enthusiastically for Ludwig's liking (practically yanked his arm off). "Feli's told me a lot about you!"

Ludwig felt a swooping sensation in his stomach. "H-He has?" He stammered nervously. Then, realizing how stupid he probably looked, he coughed and scratched the back of his neck. "I mean, um, has he now?" He rephrased, trying to sound nonchalant.

Antonio laughed, stepping inside. "Sí, he seems to like you an awful lot!" He replied. "Course he never would talk badly about anyone. He's adorable." He chuckled some more, glancing around.

Ludwig watched him step inside. He wasn't quite as tall as Ludwig was, but he was definitely taller than Lovino and Feliciano. He had curly hair and tanned skin, as if he was outside a lot, and a good natured smile. He seemed like the kind of guy Feliciano would be good friends with.

Then Ludwig's eyes trailed down to the bouquet of flowers hanging loosely in Antonio's hand.

…Why the hell was he bringing flowers to Feliciano? His eyes narrowed. "So, um, why're you here?" He asked slowly, still eying the flowers.

Antonio glanced up. "Huh? Oh, um, w-well I was…" He trailed off, glancing at the flowers too. "So mi amigo Francis was saying you're supposed to give flowers to people you like," he replied with a weak grin. He glanced back at the flowers, facing falling. "I wonder if he'll even like these though…"

Ludwig scowled. Why did this make him feel so annoyed? "I don't think he's interested," he replied suddenly. He quickly shut his mouth, startled at his own words.

Antonio seemed to deflate ever so slightly. "W-Well, yeah…yeah I know," he admitted. "He makes that pretty clear."

Ludwig frowned. "…he does?"

"Sí, he probably hates me," he continued with a disheartened sigh.

Ludwig was starting to feel confused. Feliciano hating someone…? No way. "Um, I don't think—"

"But I just…I mean, I really, really like him, so I should still try shouldn't I?" He gave a weak smile.

Ludwig grimaced. "Um, nein, maybe you shouldn't, actually, you could just throw those out—"

There was a loud crash as the door to the basement that Ludwig had been residing in slammed open. "WAH LOVI WANTS TO KILL MEEEE!" Feliciano wailed, stumbling past with tears in his eyes.

"YOU IDIOTIC LITTLE BASTARD GET BACK HERE!" Lovino screamed after him.

Ludwig cursed furiously, ducking into the other room, yanking a very confused looking Antonio in after him.

Feliciano was blubbering by the door, head ducked under his arms. "W-Why is Lovino so mad, I didn't do anything, he's gonna hit me…"

Antonio glanced up at him. "Oh hey Feli!" He said happily, striding over and bending down. "What's wrong?"

Feliciano looked up. Then his face immediately broke into a watery smile. "Ve~ Antonio! Ciao! What're you doing here?"

Antonio shrugged with a grin. "Oh, nada," he replied, giving the boy a hug. "Just wanted to say hi! How're you doing Feli?"

Feliciano giggled. "I'm good!" He replied.

Ludwig felt sick to his stomach having to listen to this idiocy. They really both were obnoxious. He should probably just leave them alone to do whatever. Damn it, why the hell did he feel so freaking pissed off? He rubbed his head, trying to ignore the airheads next to him.

"Ve~ Wow these flowers are so pretty!" Feliciano gushed, looking at the flowers. Ludwig resisted the urge to glare at them. They were stupid flowers, nothing special. He scowled at the floor.

"Sí, you like them?" Antonio asked excitedly. "Thanks Feli, it took forever to pick them out!" Damn this guy used a lot of stupid pet names. They made Ludwig feel queasy. "Francis helped me pick them out. He likes flowers a lot, apparently different ones mean different things! Did you know that?"

Feliciano nodded, smiling brightly. "Uh huh, and they're so pretty!" Then he added, "And I bet Lovi will like them a lot too!"

Ugh why was this stupid jackass—_wait, what? _Ludwig blinked, looking up at the two next to him. Antonio had suddenly seemed to deflate again. "…w-well, maybe I shouldn't, though, I mean, he probably won't like them will he…?"

Ludwig's mouth fell open. This guy was talking about _Lovino_? Someone actually _liked_ that psychopath?

Feliciano frowned at him. "No, big brother Antonio, you gotta give him those flowers! 'Cause he really does like you a whole lot."

Antonio instantly perked up, his green eyes shining. "He does?"

"Uh huh," Feliciano told him. "He's just shy!"

"Sure, _that's_ it," Ludwig mumbled under his breath.

Antonio shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "Well, I guess I could at least try," he murmured to himself.

Ludwig nodded. "Ja, um, go ahead. I should probably get going though before—"

The door slammed open, knocking Antonio into the wall. Standing red faced and furious in the doorway was Lovino. "FELICIANO WHAT THE HELL—?" He froze, his eyes falling on Ludwig. "…_you_…" He growled.

Ludwig felt all the blood recede from his face. "S-Shit, wait Lovino I—"

"YOU FUCKING PERVERT!" He screamed hatefully. "YOU SON OF A BITCH I'LL KICK YOUR ASS, I'LL KILL YOU, I'LL—"

"LOVIII~~!"

Suddenly, two pairs of tanned, muscular arms wrapped themselves around Lovino's middle. Lovino let out a quick startled, "_CHIGIII_—" before the wind was knocked completely out of him.

"Lovi~, ¿cómo está mi tomate pequeño?" Antonio laughed into his friend's dark brown hair, grinning widely.

Lovino's face somehow managed to darken several more shades of red before he was able to sputter, "W-What the hell, A-Antonio, get _off_ of me!"

"Why would I do that?" He asked, grinning down at Lovino with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You're just so cute, why would I want to put you down?"

"What? N-No! I am not cute, I'm not—GET OFF OF ME!" He screamed.

Ludwig stared blankly at the two of them, unsure of what to do. The change in Lovino's demeanor was startling.

"Ve~ Ludwig?" Feliciano whispered, tugging on his arm. Ludwig jumped slightly and looked down. "U-Um, maybe we should go before Lovino gets mad again."

Ludwig blinked, remembering the fact that Lovino wanted to kill him. "Err, ja, we should go," he agreed, pulling Feliciano out of the room after him. He could still hear Antonio and Lovino as they slipped silently through the door.

("Lovi look I bought you some flowers~!" "What the hell? What am I, a girl? Get off of me!")

The two of them walked down the driveway silently, until they were certain Lovino wouldn't be charging after them. Feliciano started giggling. "Ve~ Good thing big brother Antonio was here to cheer Lovi back up!"

"Um, yes," Ludwig agreed. "Yeah, we should thank him later."

"Oh, so Ludwig, I was gonna show you all the neighbors and stuff!" Feliciano remembered. "We should go to big brother Francis's house first! He's always really nice, come on!" He turned and grabbed Ludwig's hand, pulling him down the street.

Ludwig blushed slightly, glancing down at his and Feliciano's hands as he was pulled forward. He was holding his hand. They were holding hands. Why the hell did that matter? Why did he care?

It took him a few seconds to realize that Feliciano had continued talking, but fortunately he didn't miss anything important.

"…and he really likes doing his hair and stuff sometimes it makes him kinda look like a girl and he likes wine and he has a lot of friends that come over like every night, oh here we go!" He had skipped up to the front door and rang the doorbell, swinging his arms (and, along with it, Ludwig's) back and forth.

Ludwig heard a click from the other side of the door, and then yanked his hand out of Feliciano's. Feliciano glanced up at him, looking slightly confused. But before he could speak, the large ornate door had swung open.

A young man stood in the doorway, with shoulder length blond hair and stubble on his chin. He looked up at Ludwig for a moment, frowning. "Um, bonjour, can I 'elp you…?" His eyes lowered, and fell on Feliciano's. And suddenly, a large smile spread across his face.

"Feliciano!" He stepped forward and embraced the boy affectionately. "'Ow've you been mon cher, it's been forever!"

Feliciano laughed. "But I just saw you yesterday!" He replied.

Francis sighed. "But Big Brother just missed you so much~!" He insisted, stroking Feliciano's hair happily (Francis's other hand, Ludwig couldn't help but note, had lowered considerably).

"Oh, so Francis," Feliciano started, pulling away to grab Ludwig's arm, "this is my new best friend Ludwig! Ludwig, this is Francis!"

"Enchanté," Francis greeted, holding out his hand.

Ludwig stared blankly at his hand for a moment, before uncomfortably reaching out and taking it. "Um, ja, hello," he muttered uncomfortably. "It's, uh, nice to meet you."

"So _you're_ Ludwig," Francis said, the faintest smirk on his face. "I 'ave 'eard quite a lot about you."

"…oh," was all he muttered in response. No matter what Feliciano insisted, he really didn't think he and this Francis guy would be getting along very well…

Francis took a step back. "Well, did you want to come inside?" He questioned.

Ludwig shook his head quickly, muttering how they were too busy, but Feliciano grabbed his hand. "Ve~ That's silly we have plenty of time! Come on!" He pulled Ludwig through the door.

Ludwig felt his face redden, especially when he saw Francis smirk wider. He tried to pull his hand away quickly. "Feliciano, let go," he hissed.

Feliciano blinked. "Huh? Oh, sorry." He reluctantly let go of Ludwig's hand, a sheepish smile on his face.

Ludwig sighed and looked around warily as Feliciano began to chat mindlessly with Francis again. He seemed to have expensive tastes in furniture. Many bright colors and expensive looking artwork on the walls, a few with the scribbled initials of "F.V." on them. There were also a few photos of Francis and Antonio and Feliciano and a very unhappy looking Lovino on a far wall.

Ludwig took to inspecting some of the artwork while Feliciano prattled on. They were very good, actually. The ones with "F.V." varied from abstract colorful conglomerations to very detailed sketches of…cats? "…Hey, Feliciano, did you make these?" Ludwig tried to ask, but Feliciano seemed oblivious to the question.

"—and he's really really nice too," he continued, sending a few admiring glanced toward Ludwig. "He helps me tie my shoes and clean my room, and he even slept with me last night~!"

Ludwig froze. He saw Francis immediately perk up. "Really?" He asked, grinning toward Ludwig.

Ludwig furiously grabbed Feliciano before he could continue. "N-Not like that, I mean, I just…Feliciano we should go now, shouldn't we?" He finished, feeling that vein pulsing in his temple as Francis began to laugh.

"Oh Ludwig, zere is no reason to be embarrassed about those kinds of things~!" He insisted. "Now, ze two of you slept togezer you say~~?"

"Nein! N-Not like that!" Ludwig protested.

"Come on, tell big brother _aaaall_ about it," he continued with a smile that made Ludwig want to bolt. "Did you two 'ave fun~?"

"Feliciano we should go!" Ludwig shouted, grabbing Feliciano and practically carrying him away. His face must've been on fire, and not just because of the sunburn he had acquired yesterday.

"Bye, Francis! Arrivederci!" Feliciano waved enthusiastically back at his friend. "I'll tell you all about it later!" He started laughing. "Why does he want to know about us sleeping? That sounds boring. Oh well! I don't get why Lovi hates him so much."

"For once, I think I do," Ludwig replied, glancing back at Francis as they turned the corner. "I-I really think we should go home, I'm fine with not meeting all your neighbors—"

"But I still haven't introduced you to Roderich yet, well I mean, you met him but you still need a proper introduction, and his wife is so nice I bet you and her will be best of friends!" Feliciano took off across the street (without looking both ways, much to Ludwig's chagrin) and ran toward the house that often was so full of music. It was quiet, making Ludwig wonder if anyone was home.

Feliciano, upon reaching the door, voiced the same concern as he listened at the door. "He's probably at work still," he decided. "Oh well!" He rang the doorbell enthusiastically.

Ludwig sighed. "If he's not home, why are you—?"

"_S-Sorry, I'll be there in just a second!_" A feminine voice called through the door, and he heard someone moving. Ludwig stopped, sighing. Right, his wife was probably at home. "Never mind, anyway can't we just—"

"I bet you'll love her, she's so pretty and smart!" Feliciano told him, still smiling.

Ludwig rolled his eyes. "Feliciano, I really don't think your judgments of people is—"

The door was pulled open before he could finish his sentence. Ludwig jumped slightly and turned. And he stiffened, his blood turned to ice.

A young woman stood in the doorway, a large smile spread across her face. She had long, brown, wavy hair and sparkling green eyes. She had a long green dress and a flower tucked into her hair. She embraced Feliciano almost as affectionately as Francis had. "Feliciano! How are you?"

"Oh I'm fine!" Feliciano answered, hugging her happily back. "I haven't seen you all week! Have you been busy?"

Her face fell for a moment, but she quickly straightened up, beaming down at him. "No, of course not," he replied.

"Oh okay. Oh, I wanted you to meet my new friend Ludwig!"

The woman blinked startled and straightened up. "W-What? I—" She turned and saw Ludwig. And instantly, all the blood drained from her face.

The two stared at each other for a moment. Her hair had grown longer and her face was clean and well-fed. Her eyes were bright, her clothing was in one piece, and her smile was all the wider and happier than he had ever seen it. But even then, Ludwig would've recognized her anywhere…

"…Elizabeta?"

She stared back at him, her eyes wide and fearful. Then abruptly, she stepped back and slammed the door.

* * *

_She had been there for me when Gilbert was beaten and delirious. She helped me practically bring him back from the verge of death. She was there for me, she was there for him._

_We'd known her since she had first gotten into a fist fight with Gilbert in the dirty field the schoolchildren were sent to during our 'recesses'. He'd thought she was a boy. Somehow, they'd become best friends after that. Even after he learned she was, well, a she, they stayed close friends. Or enemies. With him, they're practically synonymous._

_Anyway, even throughout all their bickering and brawling, she took the time to take care of me and him when grandfather was out working (I include Gilbert in this because he can hardly count as a babysitter). She read me stories and helped me with my homework, and of course entertained Gilbert._

_I think he loved her. Again, everything about my brother is confusing. He'd never admit it, but there was something about her. Something that could cheer him up when I couldn't. I guess she was pretty? I mean, I'd never thought much about it, it was just kind of a fact. Gilbert loved Elizabeta._

_Well, my brother would change a lot over the years. After my grandfather died, he became much more…unhappy I guess is the most mild term. I'd still get glimpses of that wild, silly, reckless kid in him when he was in a good mood, but more often he was angry, cold. He started obsessing over the government. You know, "Who would beat a kid for someone else's mistake and call it justice?" I was only a kid, so I didn't start paying attention until he actually started doing something about it._

_He's always been a wild, reckless kid. Well, now he was a wild, reckless adult. With a debt to pay. Elizabeta and I just tagged alone in the ride. To keep him safe. To watch his back._

_He started becoming that confident and happy kid he'd been before. Of course, his enthusiasm for payback started becoming almost infectious. _We can make something of this, _I'd begun to tell myself. _We can make a difference. _Gil just had this new energy. He wanted to change the world._

_When Elizabeta died, he changed again. But this time there was nothing to bring him back. He fell. He fell hard. He'd stop talking to me for days on end. He'd lock himself away. He was angry and he just kind of…fell apart. It was…frightening._

_Two years later and he's still a different man. He's not always furious and cold, but I barely talk to him other than to talk about battle plans. We're not brothers anymore._

…

_And I know he's not going to save me._

_Why would he?_

…

_You know, I keep talking about Elizabeta as if she's dead. But I guess that's incorrect. She was right there. Right there. In the flesh. Unharmed._

_She's married now. _Married_. To some aristocratic bastard. As if she'd never known my brother. As if he was nothing more than some tool, some stepping stone._

_Why hadn't we known this? Why hadn't she contacted us? Let us think she was dead? _Why did this stupid bitch abandon us?

_It doesn't matter._

_I don't care anymore._

_I…_

_I need to get out of here._

_I need to get home. I need to destroy these pathetic people, this corrupted government._

_No one is going to help me. Not Gilbert. Not Elizabeta. Certainly not Lovino, or Feliciano, or any other of these worthless pieces of shit. They don't' control me. I am getting out of here by myself._

_And if I have to break a few eggs in the process, well, too bad._

* * *

_Don't have much to say on this chapter. Just introducing some characters._

_Well, I'm going on vacation, so this might be it for a little while. Hope you like it! I'll try to get working on the next part. See you guys later!_


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